HAPPY VALENTINES DAY
Good morning,
David is a larger than life character in the Bible. A shepherd, warrior, musician, fugitive, king, adulterer, murderer, liar, repentant sinner, and sweet psalmist of Israel.
The next few weeks we will be looking at the people David interacted with. Goliath, Saul, Bathsheba, Nathan, and God. Then we will look at the consequences of his sin.
Each week we will begin with a bio of the individual interacting with David. Then the Biblical account.
Nathan’s Bio
Nathan was a prophet in the Bible who lived during the reign of King David in Israel. God spoke to David through Nathan on several occasions. Nathan was a member of David’s royal court and one of his closest advisers. Nathan apparently also knew Bathsheba well enough to speak to her about Adonijah’s attempt to usurp David’s throne from her son, Solomon (1 Kings 1:11) and to enlist her help in bringing the matter to the king. There are three or four stories in the Bible featuring Nathan that occurred during some of the darkest and most emotional times in David’s life.
The first mention of Nathan establishes his relationship with David as a trusted adviser. David decides to build God a house, because the king is living in a beautiful cedar palace and thinks it wrong that the Ark of the Covenant should be housed in a lowly tent (the tabernacle). David tells Nathan about his plans to build a house for God, and Nathan says he should go ahead and do it because the Lord is with him (2 Samuel 7:2–3). Then God visits Nathan in a vision and tells him to return to David and inform him that God doesn’t need the king to build him a house; rather, God would establish David’s dynasty, through his son, forever. His son Solomon would be the one to build God’s house (2 Samuel 7:4–17). Nathan relays this important message to the king, and David utters a grateful and beautiful prayer to God for His grace (2 Samuel 7:18–29).
The next time Nathan is mentioned, it is after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and brought about her husband’s death to hide her pregnancy (2 Samuel 12:1). At that point, David had made Bathsheba his wife and had seemingly gotten away with his sin, but the Lord knew about it and told Nathan to rebuke David. Nathan went to David and wisely told the king a fable about a rich man and a poor man: the rich man was visited by a traveler, so he took the poor man’s only possession, a little ewe lamb that he loved as a pet, to feed his guest—rather than taking a lamb from his own extensive flocks. David was enraged at the story and declared that the rich man had no pity and deserved to die. Nathan then points to David and says, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7).
After the death of David’s child, his wife Bathsheba became pregnant again, this time with a son whom they named Solomon. The Lord sent Nathan to David again, this time to say that the Lord loved his son Solomon, and they called Solomon “Jedidiah,” a name that means “beloved of the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:24–25). Solomon later built God’s house, the temple, and became an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ.
David interacts with Nathan (2 Samuel 12:1-14)
Rich man and the poor man (2 Samuel 12:1-6)
And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.4 And there came a traveler unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
Nathan condemns David (2 Samuel 12:7a)
7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man.
David’s plan was flawless. No one knew about his deceit, murder, and fornication. BUT GOD! God used Nathan to present David with a picture of his wickedness. His anger kindled, God drops the hammer, “…Thou art the man.”
David is thinking how did anyone find out. God knows everything, sees everything, is everywhere at any given time. We need to be careful what we do. God is watching.
God condemns David (2 Samuel 12:7b-9)
Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;8 And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
God pronounces His consequences for David’s sin (2 Samuel 12:10-14)
10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.11 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
David could not hide from God
Psalm 33:13-15 13 The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. 14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.
Psalm 139:1-4 O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
Proverbs 15:3 3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
David believes that he has gotten away with his sin with Bathsheba. He is now confronted with his sin. The consequences are great. He finally understands and repents.
When we sin, there are consequences. God knows what it will take to bring us back to Him. He executes His punishment. We again have a decision to make. Repent or continue to walk away from God.
To continue in sin does not meet the common sense test. We need to repent of our sin, ask God’s forgiveness, plead for His mercy, and move on.
Conclusion
Sin is wrong
God knows everything we do, think, and say
We cannot hide from God, He is everywhere
God will confront us about our sin
We need to repent
God is merciful but judicial
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com
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